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Stampede beer cocktails mix brews with booze

Author of the article:

Lisa Kadane

Publishing date:

July 8, 2016 • 3 minute read

Bartender Conrad Meers poses with a great Stampede beer cocktail called the Campfire Shaft at the Last Best Brewing in Calgary, Alta on Tuesday June 21, 2016. Jim Wells//PostmediaJim Wells Jim Wells/ Jim Wells/Postmedia

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Beer geeks and purists will sniff in disdain at the thought of debasing beer with spirits and mixers. But when it comes to creating a refreshing Calgary Stampede cocktail that is long on booze and easy to guzzle, the more adventurous will say, adulterate away.

“It’s not a question of, is it ruining the beer or is it ruining the cocktail. It’s a balance and it should enhance the two,” says Bryce Parsons, master distiller at Last Best Brewing, which offers a selection of beer cocktails best sipped on the courtyard patio during Cowtown’s annual 10-day rodeo.

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“We make beer. We have talented bar staff. So it made sense to put them together,” he says.

Beer cocktails aren’t a new thing. We’ve long been adding extras to our brew, from a squeeze of lime in a Corona, to a healthy pour of Clamato into a Pilsner, to a topper of ginger beer in a Pimm’s Cup or Dark ‘n Stormy.

What’s changed are the elaborate lengths bartenders are going to in their quest to elevate beer’s game. Proof’s Little Bit of Northern Hospitality adds tea-steeped pilsner to whisky, Amaro, lemon and earl grey syrup. Blanco Cantina improves upon the Paloma by lengthening a shot of Cazadores tequila with Stiegl Radler, a light grapefruit beer, rather than using grapefruit soda.

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And Last Best makes a caffeinated Campfire Shaft (see recipe) with tequila, Kahlua, cream and its porter beer — perfect for a Stampede pick-me-up — while the Beer Geek Punch combines the beloved IPA with bourbon, ginger liqueur and grapefruit juice. It’s delicious and makes me want to give IPA another chance, which Parsons says is the idea.

“Beer cocktails act as a gateway to trying different beer styles,” he says.

Nowhere is this more evident than at Julio’s Barrio in Kensington, where a menu featuring seven different kinds of Bulldogs — cocktails that combine beer with boozy slush — highlights a different brew for each drink, from a mini Coronita in the Original Bulldog (which is like a Beergarita) to a Kokanee in The Krazy Kanuck (vodka lime slush meets Red Bull and beer) to a Dos Equis in The Chow Chow (see recipe).

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What’s more, during Stampede, beer cocktails act as an efficient delivery method for alcohol. They’re often light and refreshing and go down easily on a hot day, plus they’re fortified so you get a bit more bang than relying on beer alone.

“There’s generally a higher level of day drinking during the Stampede,” confirms Natasha Peiskar, brand manager for National, whose National on 8th location is serving three Stampede beer cocktails made with Wild Rose beer, on the rooftop patio.

“Beer cocktails are great — they’re refreshing and crushable, and they have more booze in them than just a regular beer. They can help you get back up on the horse,” she says.

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In other words, they’re great in the morning! And that’s something even a beer geek should be able to embrace during the Calgary Stampede.

Campfire Shaft

Giddy up: “It’s a caffeine pick-me-up that you will need during Stampede,” says Last Best Brewing master distiller Bryce Parsons.

Cowboy or cowgirl? Put your money on cowboys to down the Campfire Shaft in one go.

Best chugged: After a long day of hard stampeding, before the evening shift kicks off.

A Stampede beer cocktail called the Campfire Shaft made by Bartender Conrad Meers is shown at the Last Best Brewing in Calgary.Jim Wells,/Postmedia

Campfire Shaft recipe

1 oz smoked coffee (infuse grounds with smoke)

1/2 oz Cazadores reposado tequila

1/4 Frangelico

1/4 oz Kahlua

Top with There Will be Porter from Last Best Brewing (about 1.5 oz)

Float 1/2 oz heavy cream

Garnish: coffee grounds and cinnamon

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Method: Build in a rocks glass filled with ice by layering in the coffee, tequila Frangelico, Kahlua and Porter. Stir to combine, then float the heavy cream and garnish with a sprinkle of coffee grounds and cinnamon.

— Recipe courtesy Conrad Meers, Last Best Brewing

The Chow Chow, a Bulldog with Dos Equis beer, Stoli Blueberi and Blue Curacao, with lime slush, one of the many Bulldogs on the menu at Kensington restaurant, Julio’s Barrio.Ted Rhodes/Calgary Herald

Best chugged: On a sunny patio while day drinking during the Stampede.

The Chow Chow Bulldog recipe

Lime slush

1 oz Blueberi Stoli vodka

1 oz Blue Curacao

1 bottle Dos Equis beer

Method: In a margarita glass combine lime slush with Blueberi Stoli and Blue Curacao, stir. Open the Dos Equis and tip it into the slush. As it trickles out, mix it with the slush until the ideal beer-lime-booze ratio is reached.

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